


A Melancholy Place

by Anonymous



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Psychological Horror, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-05-31 06:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19420501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It was a stupid argument that led to a stupid wish that their sons never dated.Now Thomas Tucker and Richard Tweak wake up to a world where that happened.Where apparently no PC came to South Park.Where their sons were not forced out of the closet to the arms of a supportive town.And now they just want to go back because their sons are dead.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a lot of fics where Mrs. Tweak's name is Helen, so I'm not deviating from the fanon and using that too.

Thomas Tucker felt his temper flare. “Who the fuck do you think you are, Richard?” He seethed. The other man glared, cheeks red from the temper. 

“You think you know better? I based my opinion on fact, not feeling.”

“Right because we know your entire family is rational with Helen and Tweek drugged up to the gills.”

“Leave them out of it.” He snarled. 

“Tweek definitely doesn’t take just after her.” 

“Fuck you, Thomas!” Richard snarled. “If this is how you fight no wonder Craig was so fucking repressed before he started dating Tweek.”

“Repressed? I didn’t repress anything in him. I also don’t remember seeing you flying a fucking pride flag.”

“I didn’t know my son was gay! I still supported him. Unlike you.” They had moved from the argument to personal attacks. Richard knew he should back off but the dig at his family’s mental health struck an open ugly wound. Tweaks were crazy...druggies...stay away from them. Rumors that had followed their family town to town for generations. 

Thomas resisted the urge to punch the man. “I didn’t know better! I changed. I love my son. Which is more than I think you can say. I don’t work mine to death!” Richard saw red.

“It’s our family business. My father had me worked at his cafe too! My family is at least loyal to each other in our way! I didn’t cheat on my wife! I remember keeping it my pants unlike you and your son. He’s lucky Tweek took him back.” Richard knew he was probably unhealthily invested in his son relationship, it was something his therapist tried to talk about but he evaded the topic. 

Thomas face turned red. “I wish my son never dated Tweek. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with your family’s bullshit. You.” He snarled. 

“Same. Fuck you. Get the fuck out of my house.” Thomas stormed away from the other man. 

He forgot the point of the argument. When he drove home. Entering, he saw Tweek and Craig cuddling on the sofa, playing a game. It was a normal sight. Common. Right now it left a bad taste in his mouth. 

“Hi, Mr. Tucker.” Tweek greeted with a smile. The smile fell at the glare Thomas sent him. Craig immediately bristled in the boy’s defense. It was what he’d taught his son, to be loyal and faithful with friends and then his boyfriend. 

“Go home. Now.” He snapped. Tweek jumped at the tone and gathered his stuff quickly, not fully dressed as he stumbled out the door before Craig could properly protest. 

“What the fuck, Dad!” Craig snarled. 

“Shut it. I’m not in the mood.” 

“Don’t take whatever pissed you off on my boyfriend!” Craig said, not willing to back down. Craig’s temper was inherited, like Thomas’ it had grown more controlled as he’d gotten older. Now, though, Thomas rose to his full height, red in the face, and snapped. 

“Don’t argue with me. This is my house. Go to your room.” Craig weighed his options but apparently decided he should leave while he could presumably still talk to Tweek over the phone. His son flipped him off. Thomas fumed. 

“NOW.” Craig was gone up the stairs. Laura and Tricia weren’t home. Dinner was very stilted. Craig immediately told his mother Thomas ‘was being a dick to Tweek and me’. A few snaps at any questions had the meal pass quickly and silently. Laura’s glare let him know they’d probably fight about this later when the children weren’t there.

He went to bed still angry and cursing Richard.


	2. Chapter 2

Thomas woke up to an unusually quiet house instead of his wife’s sleeping face and the sound of the kids getting ready. He looked at the time. It wasn’t late by any means but certainly later than he woke up usually. No wonder it was quieter. Craig had no doubt gone to meet up with Tweek before walking to school as usual.

He found Laura sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Her face looked more lined . 

“Good morning, Laura.” Laura blinked, looking at him half-confused and surprised. 

“Oh. Hi, Thomas.” She looked at the cup in front of her. 

“Tricia at school already?” 

“Yeah. You know how she gets this time of year.” Thomas frowned, wondering if he missed something in his mood yesterday. 

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” Thomas said. Knowing that he had to communicate with his wife, as much as he hated it sometimes but it saved his marriage after his infidelity. “I had a fight with Richard. It got ugly.”

“Richard?” Laura looked confused. 

“Tweak?” Thomas said, wondering if he had moved too much during the night and caused his wife to be half dazed. 

“Oh. I’m surprised. The man’s usually so…” She made a spinning motion with her finger. “Maybe his medication isn’t agreeing with him again.” Alright, that was definitely odd. Laura was the better of the two of them at compassion. She didn’t talk about the Tweaks’ issues like that. 

“It was probably both our faults. You know how my temper can be.” Thomas reluctantly agreed. He should apologize. He really stepped out of line yesterday but had just seen red. 

“Of course.” Laura said. She sighed. “I have to go to work.” She rose. Thomas frowned. She looked...plumper. He didn’t want to call his wife fat but she definitely looked it today. 

“Okay. I’ll see you at dinner.” He went to kiss her, she pulled back. She looked confused. Then angry. 

“Don’t. Just don’t. I can’t do it again. Not now.” Her eyes wetted and she pushed him away. Okay. That was weird. He found himself confused more than anything. He also worried. 

He’d talk to her later. 

He went to make coffee. The coffee machine wasn’t there. Where the hell was it? He rolled his eyes after a moment. Craig probably hid it to irritate him. He was used to good coffee every morning. He’d have to go without a pick-me-up. 

Laura had had coffee thought. He gave a quick look around. He found some instant coffee. He still made it. Blah. 

Tweek had brought the machine over after getting a headache from a lack of coffee when he stayed the night. He and Laura had joined his morning cups of coffee, at first to stop him from drinking the entire pot and then because they liked it.

He went to make breakfast and found the fridge pretty much empty. That was weird. He’d had dinner yesterday. They had definitely had more food than what was there. He rubbed his head, feeling a slight headache begin to form.

He’d pick up something on the way to work then. 

He got ready and drove to work. He cursed being in a small town for a moment. There weren’t many quick breakfast options. One was Tweak Bro, one was Freeman’s Tacos, though that was out of his way, and the other was the town’s only McDonalds. He picked up the fast food and went to work. 

His day at work was boring as usual and distracted himl. He texted Laura at lunch. She didn’t reply. When he texted for dinner plans he received no reply. Okay. She was probably still angry at him. That was a bit fair. 

On his drive home he thought about the fight yesterday. He should apologize to Richard. He shouldn’t have said some of those things.

He shouldn’t have snapped at Tweek or his family.

He parked and entered. Tricia was sitting on the table doing her homework. She was frowning. He walked toward her. It was math. 

“Having some trouble, Trish?” She looked up at him. 

“Yeah.” She turned back to it. 

“You should ask Craig to help you.” She flinched. 

“That’s not funny.” She said. Now he was concerned. 

“What? You know he’s always willing to help.” Her eyes filled with tears. 

“Why are you doing this?” She pushed herself off the table and ran up the stairs. 

“Tricia!” He followed her. He found her door closed. He knocked. 

“Go away!” She snapped. “I don’t-I don’t-” A sob broke out from her. He immediately entered. His girl usually didn’t cry. He paused at the room. It was messy. The walls were decorated with pictures of her and Craig rather than her usual girly posters. She was on the bed, crying. He walked to her. 

She just began to cry harder. He rubbed her back. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I miss Craig.” She sobbed. 

“It’s alright.” 

“No it’s not! He’s gone! I want my brother!” He heard something from the door. He saw Laura at the door. Her face was wet. 

“Go get dinner, Thomas. I’ll calm her down.” Thomas was at a loss for words. He exited, the door closed behind him. Laura’s voice was muffled, broken and sad. He walked down the hall, wondering what he missed.

He paused when he saw Craig’s bedroom door closed. Nothing. He opened the door and frowned. 

The room was coated in a thick layer of dust. The bed was undone too and he frowned. Craig hadn’t had a Red Racer poster up in years. Why was that on the wall? Stripe’s cage was empty. The room smelled stale. 

He closed the door. Confused. What the hell? He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone right now. 

This was starting to freak him out now. 

He felt the need to call his son to check on him. He dialed Craig. The number immediately came up as invalid. He tried again. Nothing. He dialed Tweek. The same. 

Now he was very, very worried. He was about to dial Richard. Any anger he held gone in the cloud of worry for Craig and Tweek. 

He heard Laura call his name. He looked up. 

“Laura? Honey?” She looked at him in a resigned anger. 

“Why’d you make that joke, Thomas? It set her off. She was doing okay.” 

“What joke? What’s going on? Where’s Craig?” The look turned to concern. 

“Thomas, where do you think Craig is?” 

“He-he should be on his way home from school. He’s probably with Tweek right now. I can’t reach them though.”

“Who’s Tweek?” Laura asked. 

“What do you mean who is Tweek? His boyfriend.” Her face crumbled. 

“Oh, Thomas.” She spoke with him softly, like he was a fragile thing that needed care. “Craig never had a boyfriend.” Her words had him freezing. “He’s dead, Thomas.” His world shifted. “He killed himself two years ago. Don’t you remember? You found his body. I knew I should’ve pushed for therapy but I was too tired. I’m sorry.”

“Craig’s not dead.”

“He is.” She spoke it like it was a fact, a fact she loathed with her very being. “He’s not coming back. As much as we wished we could have let him know it was okay to be gay. We can’t. We have to live with our sins.”

“I saw him yesterday.” The edges of his vision were going black. “I did. Him and-and Tweek- Richard and I fought- I-” 

“Thomas!”


	3. Chapter 3

Everything was white. That was the first thing Thomas noted when he opened his eyes. 

“Mr. Tucker?” He turned. A doctor was standing next to him. Laura was looking at him, worried, behind the man. 

“Yes?” 

“Can you tell me what date it is?” Thomas’ brow furrowed and he answered. Everything was going well until he started getting his bearing. He immediately demanded to know where Craig was. 

He was almost restrained in the panic he had as Laura retold him the horror of yesterday.

Stress and grief. 

That was the diagnosis. He was forced to take a break from work or else his doctor would insist on his admission to a mental institution. 

HIs work was surprisingly accommodating, but it probably had to do with the fact that he apparently hadn’t take a vacation since- since Craig. Laura would keep working. 

Thomas spent the first day alone in the house. He looked for things related to Craig's- to the event. He found a box in the basement. Instead of the yaoi he had put away for later sale, he found a box of horror. 

It was the only thing he could describe it. It included a death certificate, a funeral plot - not within the consecrated ground of the Church-, and a short police file. The death had been ruled a suicide by the coroner. There were no pictures, but there was a copy of the note Craig had left. 

He forced himself to read it. 

Thomas lost time. That’s the only explanation he had because he found himself answering the phone an hour later with a mild disorientation. Unknown Caller, even as the number was familiar. 

“Hello?”

“Thomas?” The voice at the other end was...devastated. That was the only way he could describe it. 

“Richard.” He felt his breath catch. “Richard.” He couldn’t speak. 

“Thomas.” The man began. He sounded teary and desperate. “Thomas, what is Craig to Tweek?” A jolt of electricity ran down his spine. 

“Boyfriends! They’ve been dating forever.” Five years seemed like forever. It was a third of their lives. He felt some desperation. “Right?”

“Yes!” The word was yelled and he seemed almost relieved. 

“Oh thank, no don’t thank God. This is horrible. Richard, have you-”

“Tweek is dead.” The words were softly spoken and tinged with pain.

He felt sick as dread settled in his stomach. “God no, not him too.” The last thing he did was snarl at the boy. Fuck. Jesus Christ. But Laura said Craig was dead. That couldn’t be right. 

“Everyone is telling me since last year. He killed himself. Then-then-” A sob. “You’re right about us, Thomas. We’re all crazy. Helen killed herself too. She couldn’t deal with it.” A pained keened. 

“That can’t be right. I know it’s not. They’re telling me I’m crazy not like that. I know I saw them two days ago. We fought. You believe me right?” His tone was manic, which contrasted to his usual tone had Thomas on edge. “Tweek came home two days ago. He did.”

“Yes, Richard. We fought. I saw him yesterday too. I didn’t see Helen but Tweek was with Craig yesterday.”

“Then why do I have urns!” Richard shrieked. 

“I don’t know. Something’s going on. My house is weird too.” 

“Where’s Craig?”

“Everyone says he’s dead.” He whispered to the phone. “He killed himself too. He left a note. I-Oh God, it’s my fault. He didn’t-he didn’t think I’d love him. He didn’t think it was good to be gay. That’d it’d be worth it to keep living.”

“I can’t find anything about Tweek and Helen but I-I thought I was going crazy. Laura didn’t recognize me when I spotted her on Main Street.”

“Richard, why did you call me?”

“I don’t know if I can do this alone.” his voice wavered.

“Richard, don’t hurt yourself.”a

“I won’t. Not if I’m not crazy.” He said. 

“I’m heading over.”

“I’m at the shop. I ran the morning rush. I closed it after.” He kept the man on the phone as he drove there. Tweak Bros coffee looked rough. The store wasn’t probably at the minimal state needed to keep it open. 

He knocked on the door. Richard answered after a moment. He looked bad. Eyes red, thinner than normal, and sickly.

“Richard.” 

“Thomas. I’m not crazy. Tweek was here a few days ago. He made the cupcakes. Helen said we sold all of them by lunch.” The display was empty of anything, which again wasn’t normal.

“I know. Richard, I had him leave when I got home. I was angry. Craig was very pissed off about it.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” he felt drained. The fight had been so stupid. Now they had to deal with this...hell. “Laura was acting weird. Then Tricia started crying when I said Craig could help her with homework.” he took a breath. “I just thought Craig was angry with me so I didn’t worry about seeing him at all.”

“I tried calling him after I learned about Tweek. The phone number is disconnected.” Richard said. “Then Laura didn’t recognize me.” He laughed. “I was at the end of my rope.” He looked at Thomas. “Why is this happening?”

“I don’t know. I want my son. I want Tweek and Helen here too.” He took a breath. “I don’t know why this is happening.” Craig had never done shown anything that would make him worry about his mental health. Now this was throwing him off. 

“I don’t either.” Thomas couldn’t focus on the window. “No one is telling me anything about why Tweek...passed.” Richard uttered. 

Thomas frowned then remembered something. “We wished our sons never dated. Craig is only out of the closet because his relationship with Tweek was made public.”

“We supported them.” He had gotten over his homophobia. He would- he didn’t think he had been so homophobic his would think his son would think Thomas would hate him for it or the possibility of it.

“We couldn’t if they never came out.”

“I-I wasn’t supportive at first. I didn’t think it was acceptable.” Thomas remembered. “I was happy when he and Tweek broke up. Then I saw how-it wasn’t worth him feeling broken.”

Richard was quiet. “They were forced out of the closet. You know that. If they hadn’t--- Craig helped Tweek so much. If he wasn’t there...and he was-was feeling overwhelmed and unsupported… ”

“I need a drink.” Thomas said. “I don’t want to think about this right now.”

“I can’t.” Richard said. “No yet.”

“How do we fix this?”

“You think I know?” Richard said, not even venomous. “But there has to be a way.”

“We’re not crazy. We wouldn’t have the same memories of it if so.”

“Tweek bought Stripe #4 for Craig.” Thomas nodded. A small smile appeared on his face as he remembered Craig’s excited introduction of the new rodent and how he had the best boyfriend several years ago.

“Craig gave Tweek little things like fidget spinners to help his anxiety.” Richard nodded. Then smiled. 

“I think Tweek assumed he was too use all of them at once because he can balance a few on his hands at the same time.”

“Okay. So we’re not crazy and we don’t know how to fix this.” Thomas said. Richard sighed. 

His sigh seemed to echo in the empty shop. Thomas sat in silence. 

There was no comfort in this because they both feared it would stay like this.


	4. Chapter 4

“What do we do now?” Thomas asked as the two men leaned against the wall in the backroom. The question crept up every few minutes in some variation by each man. 

“I don’t know.” Was the reply each time. There’d been a moment when empty hope had fueled each man briefly as they pondered how to go back home. How to fix this situation and get their families back. Now they felt empty and broken again. 

The two men sat for what felt like minutes but had turned out to be a little over an hour. A text to Thomas’ phone from Laura had them jolting from their silence. 

“Who is that?”

“Laura. She’s asking where I am.” 

“You should head home.” Richard said. “We can meet later and try to get home tomorrow.”

“Maybe we’ll wake up and be back home.” Thomas said. “We wished our sons hadn’t dated, now we want them back.”

“Yeah.” Richard sighed. “I don’t want to go home.” Richard said. “It’s so empty.”

“You’re not opening the shop tonight?”

“No. The hours are just for the morning. Helen and I have-had life insurance policies that pay out really well. For Tweek and so that we could - we could- make do and cut back store hours to grieve.” He said softly. “A just in case policy in case anything happened. Meant for an accident.” His voice trailed off. 

“Rich?” 

“Oh... It looks like I’ve been living off that and only opening the shop in the morning. Half the hours have been scratched out.”

“Jesus. I apparently devoted myself to work. Laura thinks I’m having a breakdown.”

“Aren’t we?”

“Yeah but not why she thinks.” Thomas said with a twisted smile. 

“Is this some It’s a Wonderful LIfe bullshit?” RIchard said. “Because I would much rather be dead than my son and wife.”

“I don’t know.” Thomas said. “I don’t know how we can know. I can pray to God but I don’t know if he’ll hear.”

“If this doesn’t get fixed, I hope Tweek and Craig find themselves again in the next life.” Richard said. Richard gazed at an empty space in the wall. “I’m going to join Helen if we don’t fix it. She’s the love of my life, Thomas. I can’t-I don’t want to start again or live without her.” 

Thomas nodded. “It won’t come to that, Richard. We have to stay strong.”

“Yeah.” He got up. “I’m going to stay here for the night. I have a laptop here somewhere and wifi. I don’t think I’ll sleep at all.”

“I’ll come here first thing.” 

“We open-The shop opens at five.” 

“I’ll be here.” 

“Give Tricia and Laura my love, even if they don’t know me here.” Richard said. Thomas nodded. They had built an extended family of sorts with the boys dating-having dated so long. Richard cared for his wife and daughter too, in the same way Thomas cared for Helen and Tweek. 

Thomas left the shop. His friend closed headed to the back storeroom again, looking broken and tired as Thomas felt. He didn’t drive home. He left the car parked downtown. 

He walked down the streets, the town was small and maneuverable despite the lengthy trip compared to the usual drive. He spotted Stan and Kyle walking in the distance. The two boys were smiling and conspiring, probably for some bullshit the town dealt with. They didn’t look his way. 

When he got home he was greeted by a tired looking Laura. “Thomas! There you are! Where have you been?” She pressed. Thomas had the feeling that she was asking a double layered question. He wondered if he had ever stopped cheating on his wife here. His beautiful, loyal wife. 

“With Richard.”

“Richard?” She looked confused. 

“Tweak.”

“Oh. That’s surprising.”

“We have a lot in common.” Laura frowned but nodded. 

“That makes sense.” She cleared her throat. “The-the boys were both troubled.” She looked like she wanted to say more but her face was grief stricken. 

“Where’s Tricia?”

“She’s asleep. She took some of her medication?”

“Medication?” 

“She’s depressed, Thomas.”Laura said softly, like Thomas was broken. “Don’t you remember? She stopped eating for a week after-after ahem and the doctors gave her some medicines. She’s been on them since.”

“Do I take anything?” Laura looked at him funny. 

“No.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. It’s the only way I get through the day sometimes.”

“I miss my son.” Thomas said softly. 

“I do too.” Laura said and began to cry. “I don’t think this will ever get better.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t a better husband to you.” He said, for his own actions and the ones of this version of him. Who seems had never realized what he had. Laura just shook her head. 

“It is what it is, Thomas. We can only move forward.” Thomas nodded, feeling tired again. 

“I’m going to bed. I’m going to meet Richard tomorrow in the morning.”

“Okay.” She played with the hem of her dress. “Are you going to talk to someone?”

“Maybe, I can’t stay on leave forever.” If they couldn’t fix this he’d have to. He had so much vacation right now it wasn’t an issue. His work had let him roll over everything he hadn’t used after Craig- he had some time. 

“I wish you would.” She said. “I don’t want to lose you too, Thomas. I still love you.” She sounded shattered to admit that. 

“I love you too. God I love you.” He whispered. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She nodded and sat down on the kitchen table. Thomas almost collapsed as he crossed his son’s closed door. 

They’d fix this. They would. 

They had too. 

He went to bed. 

When he woke up the world was still twisted and strange. 

He walked back to the cafe. Richard looked worse for wear but was still there. Thomas helped him with the morning rush as best as he could. When the rush was over it was barely 8 in the morning and the shop was empty again. 

“Do you think we need to do something?” 

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. But we can’t just have been placed here for nothing.” Thomas said as he watched his friend clean a coffee filter canister. 

“Like penance? We took our sons for granted and now we have to show someone it’s okay to be the same?”

“It’s just an idea I had.” Thomas said. “We regret this but nothing changed. Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe we need to do something more.”

“I need to sleep.” Richard said. “I think you could be right though. If it was regretting what we said then we’d be back home. So it’s not that. So maybe it’s something else, something we have to do or help someone or maybe just suffer.”

“I don’t believe we’ll just suffer.”

“I do.” Richard said. “But I get obsessive about certain things.” He shrugged. “Can you drive me home? I don’t know where I left my car keys.” Thomas nodded.

As they drove to the Tweak home Richard muttered softly to himself. Thomas thought he might be praying. Thomas had offered his own last night. He didn’t know if he had anymore rather than just pleading to God to fix this and make it right.


End file.
